Saturday, April 16, 2011

Almond + Eggplant Baba Ghanoush

If you love someone, do something nice to show it. The nicest thing I can ever think to do is to feed somebody. Being greeted with a simple spread of warm, smoky baba ghanoush, goat cheese sweetened with honey, and some salty olives will let the one you love tangibly know your appreciation. This week's theme for us has been gratefulness, so if you are grateful for someone, either in this way or another, it's sweet to let that person know. Here's our idea for it.

Almond + Eggplant Baba Ghanoush

1 large eggplant

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp. corinader

1 tsp. cumin

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

1/3 cup whole almonds

juice from half a lemon

a pinch of Maldon salt

a pinch of cane sugar

Fire up that grill. Char the eggplant on both sides until it's more black than it is dark purple; depending on the size of the eggplant, this should take about 15-20 minutes. Remove eggplant from the grill and cover it; allow it to cool. Once it's cooled, pull the charred peel away -- it should come right off. Place both flesh and seeds -- but NOT liquid -- into a food processor. Leave it there for a minute.

Pour the olive oil into a pan over medium heat. Add coriander and cumin along with the crushed garlic. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until spices are fragrant and the garlic is lightly browned. Let this cool, too, and then add it to the food processor with waiting eggplant. Add almonds, lemon juice, salt, and sugar. Blend until very, very smooth. Top with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.